Jaffna University – when entitlement is rejected
On the 16th of July, a clash happened between students at Jaffna University over the inclusion of Sinhalese cultural spectacles in the welcome event. Below is a brief of the events but…
Sri Lanka
National Reconciliation – A Pipe Dream unless Inclusivity Achieved
Featured image courtesy Rotary Peace Centre “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” -Benjamin Franklin It is…
Everyday Heroes: Untold Stories of Black July
July 23. The date has an awful significance for some, and has been blotted out by time for others. On that date, in 1983, a group of LTTE militants killed 13 Army…
Flip-flopping on accountability: A timeline
Featured image courtesy The Wire/Ishara K The topic of international involvement in Sri Lanka’s accountability process, specifically the participation of foreign judges, is controversial and hotly contested. The UNHRC resolution, co-sponsored by…
Geneva and coming colours: A lesson for Colombo
The recent activity in Geneva around High Commissioner Zeid’s oral update on Sri Lanka illuminated an interesting dynamic with respect to accountability in Sri Lanka. The noticeable pull back from the terms…
(Re)conceptualising Reconciliation: Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka
Transitional justice is a popular term in present day Sri Lanka. It is the means by which the various parties to the conflict have decided to bring about justice and reconciliation. The…
The Indrajit Coomaraswamy Issue: A matter of decency
Featured image courtesy Sri Lanka Mirror The issue of the appointment of Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy as the Governor of the Central Bank is a defining one. It is an issue on which…
The fruit of an ambitious social experiment – South Asian University Holds its First Convocation
As an idea, project and dream of considerable proportions, South Asian University has been discussed for more than a decade among leading intellectuals of the region, including people like Asish Nandy of India, Imtiaz Ahmed from Bangladesh, Kanak Dixit from Nepal and many others.…
Brexit through the eyes of a new British citizen
Featured image courtesy IBTimes On the day Britain found out that it chose to leave the EU, I became British. It was supposed to be a special day for me. After 5…
Culture and Poverty in our Neo Liberal Economy
In this neo liberal or free market global economy, Sri Lanka was counted as a country moving into the middle income group with an annual per capita income of 3,230 US dollars…
A Broken System: Sri Lanka’s ongoing battle against torture
June 26 marks the International Day in support of Victims of Torture. Several recent reports have flagged that torture is a frequent and ongoing phenomenon among the police and military, even today,…
BBS threatens a repeat Aluthgama
I have been accused by many in comments to my articles that I continue to write about the pogrom in Aluthgama and Muslims while the Tamils have had to undergo state terrorism…
Bridging the gap: Understanding the needs and aspirations of post-conflict Sri Lanka
Featured image courtesy Tamil Guardian There have been numerous debates along the lines of Sri Lanka’s ability to deliver Transitional Justice (TJ), how the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) should approach the…
Sampur in the Spotlight after Indian RTI Request
Featured image courtesy TamilGuardian The Sampur power plant project has come under further scrutiny, following a project synopsis released by the Public Information Officer of NTPC Ltd, India’s largest energy conglomerate. Among other…
Healing from the Horrors of War: The Amazing Effects of Yoga on PTSD
Featured image courtesy New York Times If only political leaders knew the horrors of war first hand, they might find other ways to solve differences, to meet threats – perhaps go to…
